Converting to hollow point.

Jeff H

NW Ohio
...setup was a bit tedious, my drill press spindle is far too loose for repeatable semi-precision work, and standard drill bits are a bit too long to do this without a lot of fiddling. I think a newer drill press, and some short spotting drill bits would fix it.

I can only help with the drills - find some center-drills. You can even go a little deeper and form a bevel on the inside edge of the HP hole.

My dad always said "setup is everything." He'd spend hours sometimes setting up to machine or bore for a minute or less, but it was always RIGHT.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I'm not the worlds biggest HP fan. I've got some HP moulds and I've got the Forster HPing set up. It's a lot of work for what, so far, has been minimal results. BUT! If I had the fever for some HP's, I'd save up my $$$ and get one made by someone who knows what they're doing.
 

JustJim

Well-Known Member
I'm a strong dis-liker of Lyman's HP setup, but I'm growing to like the way NOE does them. If I seriously wanted an HP mould (say, along the lines of a 358156HP), I'd probably order from NOE, and build a dedicated mould guide for the RCBS pot.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I'm not the worlds biggest HP fan. I've got some HP moulds and I've got the Forster HPing set up. It's a lot of work for what, so far, has been minimal results. BUT! If I had the fever for some HP's, I'd save up my $$$ and get one made by someone who knows what they're doing.

I've only recently begun to consider them. They've always seems like a lot more trouble than they were worth. For handguns, I shot 44 and 45 calibers, so I felt I was already making big-enough holes.

Since giving up on 22 rimfire, and jacketed bullets for center-fire, I'm finding a potential use for at least one HP mould for mouse-fart loads using REALLY soft bullets, which kill varmints/vermin decisively and don't exit the body. For my own 30-cal endeavors (30/30 single-shot), I can see a CUP POINT being useful. I have been tossing the idea about to have a 2C, HP mould made with one 180-grain (or so) and one 100-grain (or so) in 30 caliber, with a cup-point pin for the heavier and an HP pin for the lighter.

Using an old Ideal 358429 HP (maybe using the wrong number) with 75/25 pure lead/wheel-weights at about 450 to 500 fps from a carbine barrel, I have a load which dispatches varmints at close ranges MUCH more effectively than a 22 rimfire, and without the drama of a typical 22 centerfire, varmint-type cartridge. "PFFT-SMACK-SLUMP."

Just entertaining the idea for now, but the cup-point in the heavier 30-cal is tempting me the most. With some of the systems offered today, it's a more appealing aspect than using my old mould with the loose pin.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
I have been tossing the idea about to have a 2C, HP mould made with one 180-grain (or so) and one 100-grain (or so) in 30 caliber, with a cup-point pin for the heavier and an HP pin for the lighter.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
C'mon man! There's nothing quite like casting a mess of single cavity Ideal hollowpoints on a cold winters day with snow wayyy to high. That said, I now want a heavy 44 HP mould like Glens, after reading his latest article.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I've only recently begun to consider them. They've always seems like a lot more trouble than they were worth. For handguns, I shot 44 and 45 calibers, so I felt I was already making big-enough holes.

Since giving up on 22 rimfire, and jacketed bullets for center-fire, I'm finding a potential use for at least one HP mould for mouse-fart loads using REALLY soft bullets, which kill varmints/vermin decisively and don't exit the body. For my own 30-cal endeavors (30/30 single-shot), I can see a CUP POINT being useful. I have been tossing the idea about to have a 2C, HP mould made with one 180-grain (or so) and one 100-grain (or so) in 30 caliber, with a cup-point pin for the heavier and an HP pin for the lighter.

Using an old Ideal 358429 HP (maybe using the wrong number) with 75/25 pure lead/wheel-weights at about 450 to 500 fps from a carbine barrel, I have a load which dispatches varmints at close ranges MUCH more effectively than a 22 rimfire, and without the drama of a typical 22 centerfire, varmint-type cartridge. "PFFT-SMACK-SLUMP."

Just entertaining the idea for now, but the cup-point in the heavier 30-cal is tempting me the most. With some of the systems offered today, it's a more appealing aspect than using my old mould with the loose pin.
If you're going to aim for 450-500 fps and don't want an exit, I'd be thinking HB wadcutter reversed or something like that, in near pure lead. By varmints I think coyote down to coon. Or just go with a light FP and figure on energy dump in the carcass probably negating an exit wound.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
or simply get yourself a swage die with 2 different stem lengths.
wallah all sizes and shapes of hollow pointed bullet, as long as you want the bullet one shape.
for instance i have a 430 diameter swage die i can make RNFP's in. [which i do anyway]
but i do have the option of 3 different hollow point shapes, and the option of pre-programming those H-Points to open by slicing the nose open and then re-shaping it back to where it come from.
[it works with jackets too]
 

todd

Well-Known Member
I have a Forster Case trimer / neck turner I also have their HP maker attachment! Only used it a few times because it is too labor intensive!!!
It takes a good bit of time to turn one HP hole in a bullet! Lead may be soft but it dosen't drill easy! At least not being turned by hand!

i have a Forster HP maker and it does not drill easily either!!! i have in my 9.3x57 a 280gr rn gc that i wanted to HP. i managed 10 HP boolits in about 2.5 hours. i disgustedly gave up!!!
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
EXACTLY, Ben!

I remember that post too, and that beautiful pile of little HPs.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
If you're going to aim for 450-500 fps and don't want an exit, I'd be thinking HB wadcutter reversed or something like that, in near pure lead....

The old Ideal SWC does the trick just fine. No exit from woodchucks and 'coons from 30'. Haven't caught a coyote that close yet and haven't shot these any farther than 30', but yeah, I'd bet the HBWC would do it too.

The tempting one is the 30 cal. Trying not to buy two more new moulds, but a cup-point heavy and a HP lightweight would be very useful.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
there is a 30 cal. mold out there made just for this.
it's the safety slug or something like that.
it has very thin walls on the nose, a deep hollow, and then a short drive band area, but has the length of about a 160gr. bullet.
the name escapes me right now,,, maybe the hall safety,, that kind of pops up in my head.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
I can only help with the drills - find some center-drills. You can even go a little deeper and form a bevel on the inside edge of the HP hole.

My dad always said "setup is everything." He'd spend hours sometimes setting up to machine or bore for a minute or less, but it was always RIGHT.
More than anything, I think I mainly need to quit being so cheap, and buy a better drill press. I could go to my friends machine shop and use their mill, I suppose. But if I'm going to do that I may as well chuck the bullets in the puller collets and drill them on the tabletop lathe.
 

Spindrift

Well-Known Member
MP makes a .30- cal bullet they call the "Ness safety mould". Stated weight difference between HP and solid is 25 grs (!), must be a huge HP. But it's not in stock now

For a super- light, fragmenting 30-cal short-range varmint buster, they have another option that I'll likely try one day. A bullet intended for .32 acp, available in .312, weighing 67grs with HP. Probably a pain to cast, but the nose shape should make it more likely to feed and shoot accurately in a rifle, than a WC design.

 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
The old Ideal SWC does the trick just fine. No exit from woodchucks and 'coons from 30'. Haven't caught a coyote that close yet and haven't shot these any farther than 30', but yeah, I'd bet the HBWC would do it too.

The tempting one is the 30 cal. Trying not to buy two more new moulds, but a cup-point heavy and a HP lightweight would be very useful.
I shot the Lyman 311316 out of the 32 S+W and 32 S+W Long when it was the only mould I owned. No GC, and tiny amounts of powder, but they hit the target and probably weren't going more than 700fps. A Lee 30 cal Soupcan, I forget their designation, would be an inexpensive experiment.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I shot the Lyman 311316 out of the 32 S+W and 32 S+W Long when it was the only mould I owned. No GC, and tiny amounts of powder, but they hit the target and probably weren't going more than 700fps. A Lee 30 cal Soupcan, I forget their designation, would be an inexpensive experiment.

That's some fun and useful shooting right there.

I do believe that the "soupcan" is what I am currently using in the 30/30, I just haven't run it at the really low velocities yet. The three on the right, de-gas-checked. Makes it hard to rationalize needing much else, the way it shoots. I was hurrying, as it started raining and I needed to pick up. The two errant shots were all me. The other eight were pretty quick shots too.

But, I had to go and follow that MP link and found they had a mould almost exactly like this, in 4C, HP and in stock, for $92!
Pretty much negates any rationalizations that I need to have a mould HP'd and I'm going to have to come up with better excuses not to spend money if that price is right. I had no idea his moulds were that inexpensive.30-30 Targets (Copy).jpg